Plant-Based Diets Tied to Long-Term Health Benefits
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 15, 2024 -- Plant-based diets appear beneficial in lowering cardiometabolic risk factors, as well as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer risk, and mortality, according to a review published online May 15 in PLOS ONE.
Angelo Capodici, M.D., from Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna in Italy, and colleagues conducted an umbrella review to assess the impact of animal-free and animal products-free diets (A/APFDs) on the risk factors associated with the development of cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, and related mortalities.
Based on data from 48 studies, the researchers found that overall, vegetarian and vegan diets were significantly associated with better lipid profile, glycemic control, body weight/body mass index, and inflammation and a lower risk for ischemic heart disease and cancer. There was also an association seen between vegetarian diet and lower mortality from CVDs. However, there was no difference noted in the risk for developing gestational diabetes and hypertension for pregnant women following vegetarian diets. Study quality was rated average, with high heterogeneity of the study population in terms of sample size, demography, geographical origin, dietary patterns, and other lifestyle confounders.
"Potential risks associated with insufficient intake of vitamin and other elements due to unbalanced and/or extremely restricted dietary regimens, together with specific patient needs should be considered, while promoting research on new and more specific markers (i.e., biochemical, genetic, epigenetic markers; microbiota profile) recently associated with cardiometabolic and cancer risk, before suggesting A/AFPDs on a large scale," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted May 2024
Read this next
AI-Assisted Contours Superior to Cognitively Defined Prostate Cancer Contours
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2024 -- Artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted definition of prostate cancer contours reduces underestimation of the extent of prostate cancer, according to a...
Mean Cost of Bringing New Drug to U.S. Market Is $879.3 Million
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- The mean cost of developing a new drug for the U.S. market is estimated to be $879.3 million when both drug development failure and capital costs are...
Patient–Primary Care Provider Language Concordance Tied to Better Outcomes
TUESDAY, July 2, 2024 -- Patient-family physician language concordance is associated with a lower risk for adverse outcomes, according to a study published online June 3...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.